An Unexpected City for Shopping

As I have mentioned before, I am Italian and have fairly dark skin naturally so I thought that there was just no need to apply sunscreen before spending the entire day out in the sun at Wet N’ Wild.  Come to find out - I was wrong!  I woke up the next day burnt to a crisp and was in a severe amount of pain.  I cursed myself for being so stupid and my Mothers incessant lectures about wearing sunscreen and the importance of skincare kept replaying over and over in my head.  Hmmm, what could I possibly do in Orlando that didn’t require spending the day in the sun and would still allow me to leave the grounds of Cypress Pointe Resort?   Shopping of course!!!!

After a small amount of investigation on my part, I determined that there were 2 main sources of shopping in the Orlando Area – The Mall at Millenia and Prime Outlets International.  The Mall at Millenia appeared to be an extremely high-end mall, housing retailers such as Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, and Burberry just to name a few.  Knowing myself fairly well by this point, I thought I better NOT surround myself with the above mentioned stores as the temptation to buy will surely overpower my typically level-headed thinking and budget constraints.  SO, the decision was made – Prime Outlet International here I come!

After an incredibly painful shower and a massive amount of aloe applied, I drove up to the Outlet mall which was only minutes from my Orlando vacation home.  Prime Outlet International was huge and had a massive amount of stores – mainly name brand ranging from children’s apparel to luggage to home furnishings to health and beauty.  I stopped in at least 2 dozen stores before collapsing due to exhaustion.  I found a quaint-looking café and grabbed a seat and a snack – looking down I realized I had done a fair amount of damage and had bags from Banana Republic, COACH, Gap, and Nine West.  To be honest, I could have bought ALOT more and was pretty proud of myself for showing some self-restraint. 

The Prime Outlet Mall has a plethora of retailers all advertising and upholding their word of having unbelievable deals on name brand clothing and accessories.  I found some great deals and came away with a handful of items I couldn’t wait to sport.  Great day spent shopping in Orlando and best of all – I managed to keep myself out of the sun’s reach!!!

Jordan

 

The Bomb Bay - A 76-Foot Vertical Drop

As predicted, it was another gorgeous day in Orlando – about 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.  It was the perfect day to hit Wet N’ Wild!  I headed out of my new vacation home at Cypress Pointe Resort first thing in the morning, overwhelmed with excitement and anticipation about spending my day at a water park.

As I surveyed the “land” at Wet N’ Wild, I realized that the park had a little something for all ages.  I was delighted to find that there is several water rides that looked to be fairly intense and made especially for the thrill seekers of the world!  I plotted out my day - planning out the order I would go on each ride - finally deciding that I would work my way up to the most intense ride they have – “The Bomb Bay!” 

I hit all 5 of the thrill rides (enjoying each one of them on some level) and was finally ready to take on the most thrilling ride of them all - “The Bomb Bay!”  “The Bomb Bay” is a 76-foot, nearly vertical slide that drops you into the depths below.  As I walked up the stairs to get to the top I could feel my heart start beating faster and suddenly developed a knot in my stomach.  Now I am not one to get nervous prior to going on intense rides, however for some reason I was quickly overcome with anxiety, which increased with each step I took towards the top.  Once I got to the platform, I looked down and realized just how high up I really was -  it was too late to back out at that point, so I sat down, held my breath and after what seemed like hours the trap door was released and down I went!!!  It was awesome - one of the best thrills I have had in long time and I immediately jumped back in-line to do it again!!!  This time I didn’t have butterflies in my stomach, only pure excitement and impatience to get to the top again!

Wet N’ Wild certainly provided me with the thrills I was seeking and a jammed pack day of fun in Orlando.  BUT even if you are not looking for adventure and thrill seeking rides there is still plenty of kid and family friendly, low intensity rides to keep you busy for hours upon hours.  My one piece of advice for those who choose to spend the day at Wet N’ Wild?  Wear sunscreen!!!!  And be sure to reapply throughout the day!

Jordan

Next Page »